Jake Long and the Dolphins

The Dolphins have begun contract negotations with Michigan OT Jake Long, setting him up to be the first pick of the draft; he will most likely start at LT, with Vernon Carey moving to RT. Long improved his already-high stock by demonstrating great upper body strength at the NFL Combine. At 6'7" and somewhere around 300 pounds (depending on which website you read - he's been variously reported at 295, 310, 313, and 315), Long will fit with the pattern (which we've mentioned earlier) of Miami acquiring physically huge guys this offseason.

Overall this looks like a good move for Miami: RB is one of their few bright spots, so getting a top-shelf run blocker will allow them to press this advantage; also, the team has been looking for the successor to Richmond Webb for years. John Beck obviously has to be feeling good about this pick - not only will his protection improve, but this mean that Matt Ryan won't be heading to Miami, allowing Beck to remain the QB of the future at least a little longer. And while the 1-15 Dolphins obviously have plenty of other needs, particularly on defense, it's not surprising that Sparano, a former OL coach, would want to start his rebuilding project here.